So Thomas Robinson sought out the only person he could think of to help him get through the moment. He sought out Wesley Matthews.

“I went to him, just explained what I was having problems with,” Robinson said. “Wes has been there for me all year.”

It was Friday night, the Trail Blazers were hosting the Utah Jazz, and it was supposed to be his moment. It was the Blazers’ second consecutive game playing with a decimated frontcourt, as three-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and backup big men Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard all were sidelined with injuries.

The void left by their ailments created an opportunity for Robinson, who had been champing at the bit to prove he wasn’t an NBA lottery bust.

Robinson had played a season-high 23 minutes in the Blazers’ first game without the injured trio, a 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. But against the Jazz, he languished on the bench for all but 11 minutes, 15 seconds, as coach Terry Stotts elected to feature a small lineup. It was the right move — the Blazers defeated Utah 102-94 — but Robinson couldn’t help but be discouraged.

Never mind his plus-minus of minus-12. Disregard his spotty defense and hit-and-miss effort. Robinson couldn’t help but focus on his limited playing time, and reflect on a career that, while still young, has been the opposite of what he envisioned when he was selected with the No. 5 pick of the 2013 NBA draft.

So he turned to Matthews. After the Blazers’ starting shooting guard had dressed and finished his postgame interviews, Robinson approached him in the hallway outside the Blazers’ locker room at the Moda Center and vented.

“I just told him it’s tough,” Robinson said. “It’s something that, mentally, I’ve been struggling with since I came into this league. I was just trying to get my mind right.”

Matthews was understanding. He was empathetic. But he was also real.

Matthews can see immense potential in Robinson, an imposing 6-foot-10, 240-pound bruiser with wide shoulders, big biceps and a hint of nastiness to his game. When he’s focused and active, Robinson’s relentless energy and strong-as-an-ox mentality can be difference making, as it was on Sunday night in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. But when Robinson is lackadaisical, when he tries to feel the game out, he looks lazy on defense, seems lost on offense and is more hindrance than difference making.

So Matthews had a message for Robinson: “You’re damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.”

Translation: Robison had two choices. He could lament his lack of playing time, become consumed with the what-ifs of what he might do with more minutes. Or he could look at whatever playing time he got as a gift and attack it with the same reckless abandon he does rebounds and loose balls when he’s inspired on the court.

Whether he plays 10 minutes or 30, Matthews told Robinson, he needed to be himself. He needed to attack the glass at will. He needed to focus on defense. And, more than anything, he needed to bring his trademark energy at all times, not just when he was motivated.

“I just told him he’s got to be a Jayhawk,” Matthews said, referring to the Kansas Jayhawks, Robinson’s college team. “His opportunity is here. We don’t have the luxury right now of trying to coast throughout the season, feel our way out, especially with this injury bug going on. So he’s got to step up. And that’s what I told him, ‘Play your game. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’ You’re going to play X amount of minutes regardless if you play well or not. So leave it all out there. You feel like shooting? Shoot the ball with confidence. If not, swing it, roll, crash the glass. You’ve got to make an impact.”

And boy did Robinson make an impact. Two days later, against the Timberwolves, Robinson had a career night, recording 14 points, a career-high 18 rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Robinson was so good, so determined, Stotts couldn’t take him out of the game, and he played a career-high 33 minutes, 26 seconds.

About 12 hours later, at the Blazers’ practice Monday morning in Tualatin, Robinson said nothing had changed after his career outing. There was no epiphany about succeeding in the NBA, no lesson learned about himself and his game. Sunday night, he said, was over and the focus was on the Denver Nuggets, whom the Blazers visit Tuesday night.

But that wasn’t entirely true.

“It’s still new for him,” Matthews said. “This is essentially his rookie year. He didn’t play much, missed his rookie year, got traded a couple times. And coming from being a man on a big-time team in college, where he can pick and choose, he doesn’t have that luxury right now. He’s got that kind of motor. Now, that has to be his identity. He has to bring that energy at all times.”

A month or two from now, when the Blazers — and Robinson — look back at their untimely February injuries, they could view it as a blessing in disguise thanks to a little heart-to-heart between Robinson and Matthews.

“Wes just told me, ‘No matter what you do, no matter how many minutes you get, stay who you are,’ ” Robinson said. “At this point in my career, with my team, I’m going to be who I am for this team. If I mess up, I’m still going to end up playing a certain amount of minutes. If I play good, I’m still going to play the same amount of minutes. So it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I just need to make the best of my opportunity.

“I’m past caring about what people think about me as a player. I’m past … the expectations. I’m just trying to play for my team right now. I’ve got to adjust to who I am on this team, and that’s a role player, and a backup to the best power forward in the game. So I can’t complain.”